U.S. patent application number 10/889741 was filed with the patent office on 2006-02-09 for electronic message distribution system.
Invention is credited to Dale W. Malik.
Application Number | 20060031328 10/889741 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35758681 |
Filed Date | 2006-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060031328 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Malik; Dale W. |
February 9, 2006 |
Electronic message distribution system
Abstract
A method and system for distributing electronic messages, such
as e-mails, using a subject-category-identifier are disclosed. A
server receives electronic messages having an
subject-category-identifier. The server includes logic for reading
the subject-category-identifier and logic for sorting the
electronic messages into a category based at least upon the
subject-category-identifier. The server determines whether the
electronic message is a valid electronic message for distribution;
and responsive to determining that the electronic message is valid,
the server distributes the electronic message according to the
subject-category-identifier.
Inventors: |
Malik; Dale W.; (Dunwoody,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMAS, KAYDEN, HORSTEMEYER & RISLEY, LLP/;BELLSOUTH I.P. CORP
100 GALLERIA PARKWAY
SUITE 1750
ATLANTA
GA
30339
US
|
Family ID: |
35758681 |
Appl. No.: |
10/889741 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/206 ;
709/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20130101;
H04L 51/04 20130101; H04L 51/30 20130101; G06Q 10/107 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/206 ;
709/203 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/16 20060101
G06F015/16 |
Claims
1. A method of distributing electronic message to subscribers of an
electronic message distribution system, the method comprising the
steps of: receiving an electronic message having an electronic
message subject-category-identifier; determining whether the
electronic message is a valid electronic message for distribution;
and responsive to the electronic message being a valid electronic
message, distributing the electronic message according to the
electronic message subject-category-identifier.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is an
electronic mail message.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether
the electronic message is a valid electronic message for
distribution further includes the steps of: determining whether the
electronic message was sent from an authorized sender of mass
electronic messages; and responsive to a determination that the
electronic message was sent from an unauthorized sender, dropping
the electronic message from distribution.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of distributing the
electronic message further includes the steps of: creating a link
to the electronic message; providing the link to a subscriber of
the electronic message distribution system, wherein the link is
provided in a designated folder that is associated with the
electronic message subject-category-identifier.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of distributing the
electronic message further includes the steps of: creating a copy
of the electronic message; providing the copy to a subscriber of
the electronic message distribution system, wherein the copy is
provided in a designated folder that is associated with the
electronic message subject-category-identifier.
6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of: monitoring
subscriber access to the electronic message.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of monitoring subscriber
access to the electronic message further at least one of: receiving
an indicator that a subscriber accessed the electronic message via
a link; receiving an indicator that a subscriber downloaded the
electronic message; and receiving an indicator that a subscriber
opened the electronic message.
8. The method of claim 6, further including the step of: providing
information related to subscriber access of electronic messages to
a third party.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the third party is a sender of
mass electronic messages.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes
an electronic message address associated with an intended
recipient, and wherein the step of determining whether the
electronic message is a valid electronic message for distribution
further includes the steps of: determining whether the intended
recipient desires to receive the electronic message using the
electronic message subject-category-identifier; and responsive to
determining the recipient does not desire to receive the electronic
message, dropping the electronic message.
11. A method of distributing electronic message to subscribers of
an electronic message distribution system, the method comprising
the steps of: establishing categories for electronic message;
registering senders of classified electronic messages, wherein a
classified electronic message includes an electronic message
subject-category-identifier, and wherein the senders provide sender
registration information; associating a specific electronic message
subject-category-identifier with a specific electronic message
category; and associating subscribers of the electronic message
distribution system with specific categories of electronic
message.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic message is an
electronic mail message.
13. The method of claim 11, further including the steps of:
receiving a classified electronic message; determining the specific
category of electronic message associated with the electronic
message classifier of the classified electronic message;
determining whether the classified electronic message came from a
registered sender; and responsive to the classified electronic
message having come from a registered sender, providing at least a
copy of the electronic message to a subscriber of the electronic
message distribution system who is associated for the specific
category of electronic message.
14. The method of claim 11, further including the steps of:
maintaining a list of subscribers who have elected to receive
electronic messages having electronic message
subject-category-identifiers associated with the specific
electronic message category; receiving a classified electronic
message; determining the specific category of electronic message
associated with the electronic message subject-category-identifier
of the classified electronic message; determining whether the
classified electronic message came from a registered sender; and
responsive to the classified electronic message having come from a
registered sender, providing at least a copy of the electronic
message to the subscribers included in the list.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the classified electronic
message came from a specific sender and includes multiple recipient
electronic message addresses having a domain that is associated
with the electronic message distribution system, and further
including the step of: providing the specific sender with a second
list, wherein the second list is a list of recipient electronic
message addresses that were included in the classified electronic
message but are not included in the first list.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the classified electronic
message came from a specific sender and includes multiple recipient
electronic message addresses having a domain that is associated
with the electronic message distribution system, and further
including the step of: providing the specific sender with a second
list, wherein the second list is a list of recipient electronic
message addresses that were included in the classified electronic
message and are included in the first list.
17. A server for receiving an electronic message having an
electronic message subject-category-identifier the server
comprising: logic for reading the electronic message
subject-category-identifier; and logic for sorting the electronic
message into a category based at least upon the electronic message
subject-category-identifier.
18. The server of claim 17, wherein the logic is embodied in a
computer readable medium.
19. The server of claim 17, further including: logic for
determining when to deliver the electronic message.
20. The server of claim 17, further including: logic for creating
folders in an electronic message account, wherein a given folder is
associated with the electronic message
subject-category-identifier.
21. The server of claim 17, further including: logic for delivering
a notice to a given folder of an electronic message account that
the electronic message has been received by the server, wherein the
given folder is associated with the electronic message
subject-category-identifier.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure is generally related to distributing
electronic messages and, more particularly, is related to
distributing bulk electronic message.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Today, many people have electronic mail accounts for
communicating electronic messages, such as electronic mail messages
(e-mails), with friends and workers. These e-mail accounts are
frequently overrun with unwanted and/or unsolicited e-mail or spam
e-mail from bulk e-mailers. Just as conventional bulk mailers
provide unwanted and/or unsolicited mail to a person's physical
roadside mail box, bulk e-mailers send millions of unsolicited
e-mails. Many people complain of having to spend too much time
deleting unwanted and/or unsolicited e-mails from their e-mail
accounts just to access the e-mails that they do want to
receive.
[0003] In addition, these unsolicited e-mails can cause system slow
down. Sometimes, a bulk e-mailer will blindly send hundreds or
thousands or more e-mails to intended recipients, and some or many
of the e-mail addresses will be wrong. To combat spam e-mail, many
people are employing "spam filters," which are meant to screen
received e-mail and stop the delivery of unwanted/and unsolicited
e-mails and/or sort the received e-mail into various categories.
However, a problem with spam filters is that bulk e-mailers are
constantly trying to defeat them by changing the modus operandi,
and spam filters are hard to configure so that they never drop
wanted mail and/or incorrectly sort wanted mail.
[0004] Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry
to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments, among others, of the present disclosure provide
for distributing electronic messages, such as e-mail. Briefly
described, in architecture, one embodiment of a system, among
others, can be implemented as follows. A server is adapted to
receive electronic messages having a subject-category-identifier.
The server includes logic for reading the
subject-category-identifier and logic for sorting the electronic
message into a category based at least upon the
subject-category-identifier.
[0006] Embodiments, among others, of the present disclosure can
also be viewed as providing methods for distributing e-mail. In
this regard, one embodiment of such a method, among others, can be
broadly summarized by the following steps: receiving an electronic
message having a subject-category-identifier; determining whether
the electronic message is a valid electronic message for
distribution; and responsive to determining that the electronic
message is valid, distributing the electronic message according to
the subject-category-identifier.
[0007] Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the
present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in
the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed
description. It is intended that all such additional systems,
methods, features, and advantages be included within this
description and be within the scope of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with
reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings
are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon
clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.
Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate
corresponding parts throughout the several views.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic
messaging system.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected components of an
exemplary electronic messaging distribution system.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of exemplary steps implemented by the
e-mail distribution system.
[0012] FIG. 4A is a block diagram of an exemplary generic
e-mail.
[0013] FIG. 4B is a block diagram of an exemplary user-specific
e-mail.
[0014] FIG. 4C is a block diagram of an exemplary user-generic
e-mail.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary folder structure
in an e-mail account.
[0016] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a computer for accessing an
e-mail distribution system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be
understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code
which include one or more executable instructions for implementing
specific logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate
implementations are included within the scope of the present
disclosure in which functions may be executed out of order from
that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in
reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be
understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a plurality of bulk
e-mailers 102 and an e-mail distribution system 104, which are
coupled via a network such as the Internet 106. It is to be
understood that the Internet 106 is merely one type of network that
can provide communication path(s) between the e-mail distribution
system 104 and the bulk e-mailers 102.
[0019] The bulk e-mailers 102 include organizations/businesses and
others who send mass e-mails. Exemplary bulk e-mailers include, but
are not limited to, billing entities that bill
people/businesses/organizations/etc. for, among other things, goods
and/or services rendered and advertising entities that provide
advertisement and promotional material. The bulk e-mailers 102 have
hardware such as, but not limited to, computers (not shown),
servers including an e-mail server 117, clients (not shown), etc.,
personnel, and software for providing e-mail to the e-mail
distribution system 104.
[0020] In one embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104
includes, among other things, the hardware and software to receive,
transmit, and distribute e-mails, and the personnel such as an
operator (not shown). An operator of the e-mail distributor
establishes a set of system rules, examples of which are described
in detail hereinbelow, for, among other things, receiving, and
distributing e-mails and handling subscriptions of e-mails. Among
other things, the e-mail distribution system 104 receives e-mails
and distributes e-mails to e-mail accounts of subscribers 108-114
of the e-mail distribution system 104. It should be appreciated, of
course, that multiple users may use the same e-mail account under a
single subscription. Thus, the term "subscriber" includes people,
businesses, organizations, etc. who receive the services of the
e-mail distribution system 104. Each subscriber has at least one
device 107(A)-107(D) that is capable of receiving and transmitting
e-mails. Exemplary e-mail capable devices include, but are not
limited to, computers including main frame, desktop, laptop,
servers, etc., cell phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs),
etc. The e-mail-capable devices 107(A) and 107(C) interface with
the e-mail distribution system 104 over a communication link 116.
The e-mail capable device 107(D) interfaces with the e-mail
distribution system 104 over a wireless communication link 117.
[0021] In some embodiments, the e-mail distribution system 104 is
embodied in an internal e-mail server such as, but not limited to,
in a private or company network environment. In yet another
embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104 is embodied in a
public/subscription e-mail server such as, but not limited to, in
an Internet Service Provider (ISP) environment and/or "web" based
e-mail account environment.
[0022] The e-mail distribution system 104 receives conventional
e-mails from various sources including the bulk e-mailers 102 and
receives from bulk e-mailers 102 user-specific and user-generic
e-mails. For the purposes of this disclosure, user-specific and
user-generic e-mails each include an e-mail
subject-category-identifier, and conventional e-mails do not
include a subject-category-identifier (SCI). In addition, a
user-generic e-mail is an e-mail for which there is no specific
recipient subscriber 108-114, and a user-specific e-mail is an
e-mail for which there is at least one specific recipient
subscriber. Subject-category-identifiers are described in detail
hereinbelow.
E-Mail Distribution System
[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected components of the
e-mail distribution system 104. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2,
the e-mail distribution system 104 includes, among other things, a
server 118, and a database 120. The server 118 is in communication
with the database 120 via a communication link 122 and with the
subscribers 108-114 via the communication link 116. The server 118
is also coupled to the Internet 106 via communication link 124.
[0024] In one embodiment, the server 118 is a web-based e-mail
server that includes subscriber e-mail account logic 119 and e-mail
distribution/regulatory logic 121. As will be explained in detail
hereinbelow, the e-mail distribution/regulatory logic 121 includes
logic for, among other things, registering bulk e-mailers 102,
filtering e-mails, parsing fields of e-mails, sorting e-mails,
establishing e-mail accounts including folders for the e-mail
accounts, distributing e-mails, and monitoring/accumulating
delivery information. In one embodiment, the server 118 includes
e-mail account logic 119, and a subscriber can access his or her
e-mail using a web browser (166) or an e-mail client 162 (See FIG.
6).
[0025] Embodiments can be implemented in hardware, software,
firmware, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the e-mail
distribution/regulatory logic is implemented in software or
firmware that is stored in a memory and that is executed by a
suitable instruction execution system. If implemented in hardware,
as in an alternative embodiment, the e-mail distribution/regulatory
logic can be implemented with any or a combination of the following
technologies, which are all well known in the art: a discrete logic
circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon
data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate
array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
[0026] Among other things, the operator of the e-mail distribution
system establishes a naming/addressing convention for e-mail. The
distribution/regulatory logic 121 includes logic for distributing
and sorting e-mail according to the naming/addressing convention
established by the operator.
[0027] Among other things, the operator of the e-mail distribution
system registers bulk e-mailers 102. Typically, a bulk e-mailer 102
provides the operator with registration information, and the
operator uses an administrative interface or other input device to
add the bulk e-mailer 102 to an authorized sender list 125, which
is stored in the database 120. The registration information can be
received orally, or in a written communication, or electronically,
or from a trusted third party. As part of the registration process,
the bulk e-mailer 102 provides the e-mail distribution system 104
with its IP address, and the IP address is included in the
authorized sender list 125. In addition, the operator informs the
registered bulk e-mailer 102 about the naming/addressing convention
that the operator has established so that the bulk e-mailer 102 can
send e-mails in the appropriate format.
[0028] Among other things, the operator of the e-mail distribution
establishes categories of e-mails. The categories of e-mails are
determined by the operator who, in some embodiments, uses an
administration panel or other input device to add categories to a
table used in sorting received e-mails. The categories for the
e-mails are used for, among other things, providing an efficient
way to sort and screen received e-mails. In addition, as will be
explained in detail hereinbelow, the categories are also used in
the folder structure of a subscriber's e-mail account. In one
embodiment, e-mail categories include, but are not limited to,
bills, promotions and subscriptions. E-mails containing a "bill"
are categorized as "Bills"; e-mails containing promotions are
categorized as "promotions", etc.
[0029] Normally, the subscription category can be further
categorized by subscriber interest. For example, other non-limiting
categories include "golf", "financial news", "technology",
"science", "recreation", etc. As will be explained in detail
hereinbelow, user-specific and user-generic e-mails include an
e-mail subject-category-identifier that corresponds to at least one
of the e-mail categories established by the operator of the e-mail
distribution system 104. The server 118 uses the e-mail
subject-category-identifier in an e-mail to determine, among other
things, the category of the e-mail.
[0030] The database 120 includes e-mail acceptance lists 123,
authorized sender list 125, and delivery information 127. In one
embodiment, subscribers 108 through 114 can selectively accept
delivery of categories of e-mail and their selections are noted in
the e-mail acceptance list 123. An exemplary method for accepting
delivery of categories of e-mail is described hereinbelow.
[0031] E-mails include the IP address of the server from which they
were sent, and the e-mail distribution system 104 sorts through
received e-mails to cull out e-mails that do not come from
registered senders. If an e-mail is a "user-specific" or
"user-generic" e-mail and is from an unregistered IP address, then
the e-mail is dropped. If an e-mail is a conventional e-mail, i.e.,
one that does not include an e-mail subject-category-identifier,
then it does not matter whether or not the e-mail came from a
registered sender because only e-mails that have an e-mail
subject-category-identifier need come from a registered sender.
Conventional e-mails are processed according to conventional
methods (including passing them through spam filters known to those
skilled in the art) without concern as to whether or not the sender
is registered.
[0032] The server 118 records information related to delivery of
e-mails in database 120. In one embodiment, the delivery
information 127 is on a per subscriber basis and/or on a per e-mail
basis. In another embodiment, the delivery information 127 is on a
per category basis. Generally, delivery information on a per
subscriber/per e-mail basis includes at least one of the following:
the date that the e-mail was delivered; the date the e-mail was
downloaded, if applicable; and the date the e-mail was opened.
Delivery information on a per category basis is generally
statistical in nature such as the percentage of e-mails in a given
category that are accessed/downloaded/opened. As described
hereinbelow, in one embodiment, the delivery information is
determined by the server 118, and in another embodiment, the
delivery information is reported to the server 118 by an e-mail
client 162. (See FIG. 6.)
[0033] FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary steps 126,
which are implemented by the server 118. In step 128, the server
118 receives e-mails. The types of e-mails received by the server
118 include conventional e-mail, user-specific e-mail, and
user-generic e-mail. In step 130, the server 118 sorts the received
e-mails into at least three classifications: the classifications
include conventional; user-specific; and user-generic. The server
118 sorts the received e-mails based at least upon the presence or
lack of an e-mail subject-category-identifier. Conventional e-mails
are sorted from the user-specific and user-generic e-mails, and, in
one embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104 then employs
filtering techniques known to those skilled in the art to recognize
"conventional" bulk e-mail, i.e., spam, and block or partially
block the "conventional" bulk e-mail. The server 118 also
determines whether "user-specific" and "user-generic" e-mails came
from an authorized/registered bulk e-mailer 102. The database 120
includes, among other things, a list of authorized/registered bulk
e-mailers 102 and/or a list of addresses of authorized/registered
bulk e-mailers 102. "User-specific" and "user-generic" e-mails that
do not come from authorized/registered bulk e-mailers 102 are
dropped by the server 118.
[0034] In step 132, the server 118 distributes the "user-specific"
and "user-generic" e-mails from authorized/registered bulk
e-mailers 102. The server 118 distributes the "user-generic"
e-mails to subscribers using the bulk-e-mail acceptances lists 123.
In some embodiments, among others, the server 118 uses the
bulk-e-mail acceptances lists 123 to send subscribers notices or
receipts when a user-generic e-mail from a bulk e-mailer 102 has
arrived, thereby putting the subscriber on notice so that the
subscribers may then access the user-generic e-mail, as described
hereinbelow.
[0035] In one embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104 has
agreements with the bulk e-mailers 102 regarding the distribution
of received e-mails. For example, the bulk e-mailers 102 may have
agreed to pay the e-mail distribution system for distributing
e-mails. The e-mail distribution system 104 may charge the bulk
e-mailers 102 different amounts depending on how the bulk e-mailers
102 want their e-mails distributed. One of the bulk e-mailers 102
may want to pay less by having its e-mail distributed during
off-peak hours, then, in that case, the server 117 of that bulk
e-mailer will hold onto the e-mails and forward the e-mails to the
server 118 at the appropriate time. Alternatively, e-mails may be
distributed at any time, but, in that case, the e-mail distribution
system 104 may charge a premium amount. In some embodiments, the
bulk e-mailer 102 and the e-mail distribution system 104 have an
agreement that the e-mail distribution system 104 will only
distribute e-mails from the bulk e-mailer 102 at non-premium times.
In which case, the server 118 will block any e-mails from the bulk
e-mailer 102 that come during non-premium times.
[0036] In some embodiments, the e-mail distribution system 104
charges the bulk e-mailer 102 according to the size of the e-mails
from the bulk e-mailer 102. In this embodiment, the
distribution/regulatory logic 121 includes the logic to determine
the size of received e-mail and bill the appropriate sender of the
email. Thus, the bulk e-mailer 102 has an incentive to make the
bulk e-mails as small as possible. To send a small e-mail, the bulk
e-mailer 102 may send the equivalent of a "postcard" e-mail to the
e-mail distribution system 104. Typically, the content of a
"postcard" e-mail will have one or more links to webpages so as to
reduce the size of the e-mail. Postcard e-mails are generally used
for user-generic e-mails, but they can also be used for
user-specific e-mails.
[0037] If an e-mail is a user-generic e-mail, then the server uses
the e-mail acceptance lists 123 and the e-mail
subject-category-identifier of the user-generic e-mail to determine
which subscribers have selected to receive such user-generic
e-mails. Then the server 128 sends a copy of the e-mail to those
subscribers, i.e., those subscribers who have elected to receive
user-generic e-mails in a given e-mail category.
[0038] In step 134, among other things, the server 118 monitors
delivery of the user-specific and user-generic e-mails. In some
embodiments, the e-mail accounts of the subscribers are web-based
accounts implemented using protocols such as, but not limited to,
Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP), and in that case, the
subscriber may access their e-mail account using web browsers known
to those skilled in the art. The server 118 monitors web based
access to determine, among other things, whether a subscriber opens
an e-mail.
[0039] The e-mail accounts of some of the subscribers 108-114 are
implemented using protocols such as, but not limited to, Post
Office Protocol (POP). In that case, the subscribers having POP
accounts may access their e-mail accounts using an e-mail client
162. (See FIG. 6.) In some embodiments, among others, the e-mail
distribution system 104 provides at a portion of the e-mail client
162 to the subscribers 108-114, and the e-mail client 162 is
adapted to provide delivery information to the server 118. The
delivery information provided to the server 118, includes, but is
not limited to, which e-mails are downloaded, and when e-mails are
opened. The server 118 tabulates and records delivery information
in the database 120.
[0040] In step 136, the e-mail distribution system 104 provides the
bulk e-mailer 102, or others, with delivery information. The
delivery information is a valuable property. Today, bulk e-mailers
102 do not often know how many people receive their e-mails or how
many of the e-mails are actually opened. However in some
embodiments, here the e-mail distribution system 104 has that
information and may provide that information to others, normally
for a fee.
[0041] In one embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104
determines delivery information on a per subscriber basis. Among
other things, this enables the e-mail distribution system 104 to
confirm or deny whether or not a specific subscriber received a
specific e-mail from an authorized/registered bulk e-mailer 102,
and whether or not the specific e-mail was opened. Thus, in one
embodiment, the e-mail distribution system 104 may act as an
unbiased witness for resolving disputes, such as whether an e-mail
account received a bill and whether the bill was opened.
E-mail Categories and Naming Convention
[0042] As previously stated herein above, the operator of the
e-mail distribution system 104 establishes e-mail categories such
as, but not limited to, bills, subscriptions, sports, promotions,
golf, etc. and naming/addressing information. The e-mail
distribution system 104 provides the bulk e-mailer 102 with a list
of e-mail categories. The bulk e-mailer 102 presorts outgoing
e-mail according to the categories establishes by the e-mail
distribution system 104. The bulk e-mailer 102 addresses its
outgoing e-mail employing thecategories established by the e-mail
distribution system 104.
[0043] A conventional e-mail includes a recipient field that
denotes the "user" and "address" of the recipient. The "address",
which is also known as a "domain name" by those skilled in the art,
is a string of alphanumeric characters that represent an Internet
Protocol (IP) address, which is a 32 bit number. The "user" is a
alphanumeric string that is separated from the "domain name" by a
special character, the "@". The character "." (dot) is also a
special character when used in the "domain name" because the "."
(dot) denotes breaks between "levels". The "domain name" is
comprised of multiple hierarchical levels with the highest level on
the right hand side and each level is separated by a "." (dot).
Domain Name Servers (DNS) read the "domain name" from right to left
to determine the IP address associated with the "domain name".
Typically, the "domain name" includes two levels, but it can
include more than two levels. <USER>@<SECOND LEVEL
DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN> is an exemplary recipient field
for "<USER>" at the address having the "domain name"
"<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>", and
"BELLSOUTH.NET" is an example of a "domain name" having two levels.
A three level "domain name" is given by "<THIRD LEVEL
DOMAIN>.<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>",
and "STUDENT.GSU.EDU" is an example of a three level "domain name".
Generally, only the top two levels in the "domain name" are used to
route an e-mail from a sender to the intended recipient ("user").
However, when the "domain name" includes a third level domain
and/or lower level domains, then the top two levels are used by a
DNS to route the e-mail to a specific server, and then the server
uses the third domain level and/or lower domain levels to route the
e-mail within a "subsystem." Those skilled in the art are familiar
with Domain Name Servers, domain names, domain levels, and routing
of conventional e-mail, and consequently, the routing/processing of
conventional e-mails will not be discussed. Hereinafter,
"Domain_Name" represents the alphanumeric address, eg., "<SECOND
LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>", "<THIRD LEVEL
DOMAIN>.<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>",
etc., as opposed to the IP address, for a conventional e-mail.
User-Specific and User-Generic E-Mails
[0044] In some embodiments, a user-generic e-mail, which is
described in detail hereinbelow, is addressed as
"SCI.sub.--1@<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>"
where "SCI.sub.--1" is a subject-category-identifier that is
associated with at least one of the categories established by the
operator of the e-mail distribution system 104, and where
"<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL DOMAIN>" is a "domain
name," which is well known to those skilled in the art. A
user-specific e-mail, which is also described in detail
hereinbelow, for a given subscriber is addressed as
"username@SCI.sub.--2.<SECOND LEVEL DOMAIN>.<TOP LEVEL
DOMAIN>," where "username" is the given subcriber's e-mail
account name, and "SCI.sub.--2" is a subject-category-identifier
that is associated with at least one of the categories established
by the operator of the e-mail distribution system 104. As will be
explained hereinbelow, in one embodiment, the
subject-category-identifier of a user-specific e-mail can be
equivalent to the subject-category-identifier of a user-generic
email, but the e-mail distribution 104 will process user-specific
emails differently from user-generic e-mail.
[0045] It should be noted that, according to one embodiment, the
bulk e-mailer 102 will send the e-mail distribution system 104 a
single user-generic e-mail. The e-mail distribution system 104 will
then send a copy to selected subscribers of the e-mail distribution
system 104. In some situations, the bulk e-mailer 102 will send a
single user-specific e-mail to the e-mail distribution system, and
the single e-mail will include addresses of intended recipients,
which the e-mail distribution system then uses to send copies of
the e-mail to the intended recipients. The e-mail distribution
system may then provide the bulk e-mailer 102 with an updated list
of recipients if one or more of the e-mail accounts of the intended
recipients has changed status. The bulk e-mailer 102 may also send
a user-specific e-mail that is intended for only one
subscriber.
[0046] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a first embodiment of a
user-specific e-mail 138 and a second embodiment of a user-specific
e-mail 139, and FIG. 4C illustrates an embodiment of a user-generic
e-mail 141. Referring to FIG. 4A, an exemplary user-specific e-mail
138 includes a recipient field 140, a sender field 142, a carbon
copy (cc) field 144, a blind carbon copy (bcc) field 146, a subject
field 148, and a message field 150. The subject field 148 and
message field 150 are conventional fields that will not be
discussed.
[0047] The recipient field 140 of the e-mail 138 can be thought of
as having three (3) distinct portions: a) User_Name 152; b) e-mail
subject-category-identifier (SCI) 154; and c) Domain_Name 156.
Domain name servers use the Domain_Name 156 to determine the IP
address of the e-mail server associated with the Domain_Name, and
the User_Name 152 is used by the receiving e-mail server to route
the e-mail 138 to the intended recipient.
[0048] The e-mail subject-category-identifier 154 identifies the
e-mail 138 as having certain content or characteristics. The server
118 of the e-mail distribution system 104 uses the e-mail
subject-category-identifier 154 to, among other things, sort
received e-mails. In this first embodiment, the SCI 154 is on the
left hand side of the "@", which means that servers outside of the
e-mail distribution system 104 do not utilize the SCI 154. The
User_Name 152 and SCI 154 are separated by a "." but they can be
separated by any character such as "$" or any other character
designated by the operator of the e-mail distribution system. In
the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4B, the SCI 154 is on the
right hand side of the "@", which means that servers outside of the
e-mail distribution system 104 will see the SCI 154 as a lower
level domain. However, the servers outside of the e-mail
distribution system 104 do not use the SCI 154 to route the
user-specific e-mail 139 because only the top two levels are used
by Domain Name Servers.
[0049] It should be noted that the cc field 144 and bcc field 146
are also used for the addresses of recipients. Consequently, the
server 118 also reads the cc field 144 and bcc field 146 to
determine, among other things, User_Names 152 and e-mail
subject-category-identifiers 154.
[0050] The e-mail 138 includes an indicator of the sender of the
e-mail such as the name/address carried in the sender field 142 and
the IP address of the server that sent the e-mail. Using
information related to the sender and the authorized sender lists
125, the server 118 determines whether the e-mail 138 came from an
authorized sender. If the e-mail 138 did not come from an
authorized sender, then it is dropped. It should be remembered that
the server 118 determines whether the sender of an e-mail is an
authorized sender only, in some embodiments, if the e-mail includes
an e-mail subject-category-identifier 154.
[0051] The server 118 of the e-mail distribution system 104 sorts
received e-mails using the e-mail subject-category-identifier
portion 154. Generally, subscribers 108-114 of the e-mail
distribution system 104 are free to choose their own user names,
but if the User_Name 152 and e-mail subject-category-identifier 154
are both to the left-hand side of the "@", then the subscribers are
generally not permitted to have user names that correspond to an
e-mail category established by the operator of the e-mail
distribution system 104. For example, a subscriber would generally
not be permitted to have the User_Name "sports".
[0052] It should be noted that the SCI 154 may be in any portion of
the recipient field 140 (and corresponding portions of the cc field
144 and bcc field 146) and/or in the subject field 148 or any other
portion of the e-mail 138. So long as the sender of the e-mail puts
the e-mail subject-category-identifier 154 in the location
specified by the operator of the e-mail distribution system 104,
then the sever 118 will be able to use the e-mail
subject-category-identifier to, among other things, sort
e-mail.
[0053] User-Specific E-Mail
[0054] Assume for the moment that subscribers 108-114 each have
e-mail accounts with a user name of "JohnDoe1"-"JohnDoe4",
respectively, and that they have each subscribed to a news service.
In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the bulk e-mailer 102
sends a single e-mail 139 to the e-mail distribution system. In
this exemplary e-mail, the SCI 154 is denoted by "News". The
recipient field 140 of the single e-mail includes
"Operator@News.Second_level.Top_level" and the bcc field 146
includes the following: JohnDoe1@News.Second_level.Top_level;
[0055] JohnDoe2@News.Second_level.Top_level; [0056]
JohnDoe3@News.Second_level.Top_level; [0057]
JohnDoe4@News.Second_level.Top_level; and [0058]
JohnDoe5@News.Second_level.Top_level. When the server 118 receives
the e-mail 139, the server 118 parses the addresses in the bcc
field 146 to determine the SCI 154 (News) and the user names of the
recipients. If the e-mail account for "JohnDoe5" has changed state
such that it is inoperative, then, in one embodiment, the operator
of the e-mail distribution system 104 provides the bulk e-mailer
102 with an indication of which of the intended recipients are
still valid or which are invalid, etc. In one embodiment, the
server 118 distributes the e-mail 139 immediately, and yet, in
another embodiment, the server 118 defers distribution depending
upon the agreement with the sender. As will be described
hereinbelow, the subject-category-identifier 154 is used to sort
the e-mail 139 so as to provide the recipients with a convenient
way to access it. The User_Name 152 (Operator) in the recipient
field 140 can be anything. It merely serves as a record of the
transaction to a common administrative mailbox for review and
accounting purposes. In some embodiments, the User_Name 152 can be
used to designate an action. For example, if the User_Name is
"priority," then the e-mail 139 is distributed on a priority basis,
but if the User_Name is "bulk," then the e-mail is distributed when
the e-mail distribution system 104 has the time/bandwidth to do it.
User-Generic E-Mail
[0059] Assume for the moment that subscribers 108-114 each have
e-mail accounts with a user name of "JohnDoe1"-"JohnDoe4",
respectively, and that they have each selected to receive
user-generic e-mails belong to e-mail category "sports". In one
embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, the bulk e-mailer 102 sends
a single user-generic e-mail 141 to the e-mail distribution system
104. The recipient field 140 of the single e-mail includes
"Operator$Sports@Second_level.Top_level" and the cc field 144 and
the bcc field 146 are empty. When the server 108 receives the
e-mail 141, the server 118 parses the recipient field 140. In this
exemplary e-mail, the "$" is a special character that designates a
break between the User_Name (Operator) 152 and the SCI (Sports)
154. The server 118 checks the "sports" e-mail acceptance list 123
and determines which of the subscribers 108-114 have elected to
receive user-generic e-mails in the sports category. In one
embodiment, the server 118 might distributes the e-mail 139
immediately, but in another embodiment, the server 118 defers
distribution depending upon the agreement with the sender. As will
be described hereinbelow, the e-mail subject-category-identifier
154 is used to sort the e-mail 139 so as to provide the recipients
with a convenient way to access it. Again, the user name (Operator)
in the recipient field 140 can be anything. It merely serves as a
main mailbox or alias from which to reference the distribution to
the appropriate folder of those subscribers in the e-mail
acceptance list 123. In addition, in one embodiment, the User_Name
152 and the SCI 154 are the same. In that case, the operator of the
e-mail distribution system 104 would prevent subscribers of the
e-mail distribution system from having User_Names that are the same
as the SCI.
E-Mail Folder Structure
[0060] Illustrated in FIG. 5 is an exemplary folder structure 168
for a subscriber's e-mail account such as subscriber 110. The
folder structure includes an inbox folder 170, a sent folder 172, a
draft folder 174 and a trash folder 176. The sent folder 172, draft
folder 174, and trash folder 176 are conventional folders known to
those skilled in the art and shall not be discussed. Inbox 170
includes a plurality of subfolders such as, but not limited to,
personal 178, bills 180, financial news 182, promotions 184,
assorted 186, sports (user-specific) 188, and sports (user-generic)
190. In one embodiment, the server 118 provides web based e-mail
accounts, and the folder structure illustrated in FIG. 5 is
implemented in the server 118. In another embodiment, an e-mail
client 162 (See FIG. 6) receives e-mails from the server 118, and
the e-mail client 162 implements the folder structure illustrated
in FIG. 5.
[0061] The personal folder 178 is where conventional e-mail is
deposited, where a conventional e-mail is addressed to the
recipient using the standard format
"username@Second_level.Top_level." It should be remembered that the
server 118 would typically apply a Spam filter to conventional
e-mails. The goal of Spam filtering conventional e-mails is to
reduce Spam such that the personal folder 178 contains mostly or
entirely individualized e-mails for the recipient. The bills folder
180, news folder 182, financial news folder 184, promotions folder
186 and assorted folder 188 are for receiving sorted user-specific
and user-generic e-mails. For example, all of the subscriber's
electronic bills are sent to the subscriber using "bill" as their
e-mail subject-category-identifier.
[0062] As illustrated by the "sports (user-specific)" folder 188
and the "sports (user-generic)" folder 190, the user may have
separate folders for both user-specific and user-generic e-mails
for any category of e-mail. Here, the subscriber 110 has signed up
for receiving user-generic bulk e-mail belonging to the category
"sports". His e-mail address appears in the "sports" e-mail
acceptance list 123. Whenever, a user-generic bulk e-mail having
"sports" as its e-mail subject-category-identifier is received at
the server 118, the subscriber receives a copy of the e-mail. The
copy is deposited into the "sports (user-generic)" folder 190. The
"sports (user-specific)" folder 188 is used for receiving
user-specific sports e-mails, i.e., e-mails that include the e-mail
address of the subscriber and the "sports"
subject-category-identifier.
[0063] It should be noted that the illustrated folder structure 168
is merely a non-limiting example. In an alternative embodiment,
user-specific e-mails may be deposited into the personal folder
178, and the other sub-folders of the inbox 170 are used for
receiving user-generic e-mails.
[0064] In some embodiments, when the server 118 receives a
user-specific or a user-generic e-mail, the server 118 reads the
e-mail subject-category-identifier 154 of the e-mail. The server
118 then uses the e-mail subject-category-identifier to determine
which folder to deposit a copy of the e-mail. Thus, each of the
folders 180-190 contains a category of e-mail, thereby providing
the subscriber with an efficient way to manage his or her e-mail
account. Personal/individualized e-mails are not lost among the
clutter of Spam because they are deposited in a separate folder and
the same for bills and other categories of e-mail.
Accessing E-Mail Account
[0065] FIG. 6 illustrates a computer system 158 that a subscriber,
such as subscriber 108, may use to access the e-mail distribution
system 104. The computer 158 has a memory 160 that includes an
e-mail client 162, which the e-mail distribution system 104 has
provided to the subscriber and a browser 163. The subscriber may
use either the e-mail client 162 or the browser 163 to access his
or her e-mail account data 119. The e-mail client 162 is adapted to
receive e-mails from the server 118. The e-mail client 162 is also
adapted to create e-mail folders, in the structure illustrated in
FIG. 5, that correspond to e-mail categories established by the
operator of the e-mail distribution system 104. When a subscriber
uses the e-mail client 162 to access the server 118, the e-mail
client 162 gets e-mails from the subscriber's e-mail account data
119. The e-mail client 162 then downloads the e-mails from the
server 118 and deposits the downloaded e-mails into the appropriate
e-mail folders 164. The e-mail folders 164 correspond to the
folders that were previously described in FIG. 5. The e-mail client
162 is adapted to report to the server 118 which e-mails are
downloaded and when the e-mails are opened.
[0066] In some embodiments, the e-mail accounts data 119 are web
based e-mail accounts. In this embodiment, the subscriber uses the
browser 163 to access his or her e-mail account. The server 118
monitors the e-mail accounts data 119 and determines, among other
things, when e-mails are delivered and when they are opened.
[0067] In some embodiments, the operator of the e-mail distribution
system 104 incentivizes subscribers to accept or subscribe to
receiving user-generic e-mails. For example the operator of the
e-mail distribution system 104 might offer reduced charges or free
access to the e-mail distribution system 104 based at least upon
the number of categories of user-generic e-mail that the subscriber
has selected to receive.
Subscribing/Unsubscribing to User-Generic E-Mails
[0068] In some embodiments, the e-mail client 162 includes an
e-mail acceptance menu for selecting categories of e-mail that the
subscriber wishes to accept. When the subscriber selects a category
of e-mail such as "sports", the e-mail client creates a "sports"
folder in the subscriber's e-mail account on the computer system
158 and sends a notice to the server 118 that the subscriber has
now accepted user-generic e-mails belonging to the selected
category. The server 118 then updates the appropriate e-mail
acceptance list 123, and creates the necessary sub-folders in the
subscriber's e-mail account on the server 118.
[0069] In the future, the subscriber may decide to no longer
receive user-generic e-mails. In that case, the subscriber uses the
e-mail acceptance menu of the e-mail client to unsubscribe from one
or more of the categories of e-mails that he or she is currently
subscribed to. The e-mail client 162 then sends the server 118 a
notice of unsubscription for the categories of e-mail from which
the subscriber no longer wishes to receive user-generic mail.
Alternatively, the e-mail client 152 could send an individual
notice of unsubscription for each of the categories of e-mail from
which the subscriber no longer wishes to receive user-generic mail.
The server 118 then updates the e-mail acceptance lists 123 to
remove the subscriber's e-mail address from the appropriate e-mail
acceptance lists.
[0070] The subscriber may also use the web browser 163 to access
his e-mail account on the server 118. Using the web browser 163,
the subscriber may then subscribe or unsubscribe from categories of
e-mail, and the server will then amend the e-mail acceptance lists
123 in the appropriate manner.
Subscribing/Unsubscribing to User-Specific E-Mails
[0071] As previously described, the operator of the e-mail
distribution system 104 registers bulk e-mailers 102, or in an
alternative, the bulk e-mailers 102 register with a trusted third
party. In some embodiments, one of the rules established by the
operator of the e-mail distribution system 104 is that the
subscribers 108-114 are allowed the option of stopping
user-specific e-mails.
[0072] In some embodiments, the subscriber sends an unsubscribe
notice for an e-mail category to the bulk e-mailer 102. For
example, the subscriber 110 may currently be receiving
user-specific e-mails in the categories of "sports" and "news" and
may decide to quit receiving "sports" e-mails now that the football
season is over. The subscriber 110 will then send the bulk e-mailer
102 an unsubscribe e-mail for the "sports" category. If the
subscriber 110 continues to receive "sports" e-mails from the bulk
e-mailer 102, then the subscriber 110 may complain to the operator
of the e-mail distribution system 104.
[0073] The operator of the e-mail distribution system 104 can
decide on the appropriate course of action in response to a
complaint from the subscriber 110. Basically, the operator of the
e-mail distribution system 104 has the ability to discipline the
offending bulk e-mailer 102 because the bulk e-mailer 102 is
registered with the e-mail distribution system 104. Examples of
discipline include, but are not limited to, fining the offending
bulk e-mailer 102, fully/partially denying the offending bulk
e-mailer 102 access to the e-mail distribution system.
[0074] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments
of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of
implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the
principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may
be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the disclosure
without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of
the disclosure. For example, all the description above has been
largely directed to handling of electronic mail messages, it should
be appreciated that the invention is also applicable to other types
of electronic messages, e.g., text messages and Instant Messaging.
All such modifications and variations are intended to be included
herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present
disclosure and protected by the following claims.
* * * * *